Modular hidden bed cabinet

ABSTRACT

A combination bed construction comprising a bed frame, movable between a vertical and horizontal position, in which the bed frame has a pair of elongated boards on each end that extend over to a floor cabinet and engage pivots on each end of this floor cabinet, that when rotated on these pivots to its vertical position, comes to rest on top of this cabinet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation-in-part of International Application PCT/US2016/000005 filed on Jan. 6, 2016 by the present inventor, which is incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 219,078(A) 1879-09-02 Dupre

U.S. Pat. No. 314,032(A) 1885-03-17 Laskey

U.S. Pat. No. 892,348(A) 1908-06-30 Baigne

U.S. Pat. No. 1,400,534(A) 1921-12-20 Ernest

U.S. Pat. No. 1,893,526(A) 1929-02-13 Shriver

U.S. Pat. No. 2,257,625(A) 1941-09-30 Thomas

U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,230(A) 1954-03-09 Potter

U.S. Pat. No. 2,822,229(A) 1954-08-02 Carlson

U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,715(A) 1978-01-31 Reppas

U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,134(A) 1991-07-23 Burchett

CA2484910(A1) 2004-11-15 Martens

U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,487(B2) 2005-05-23 Stonier

U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,052(B2) 2006-11-28 Monestier

CN201700827(U) 2011-01-12 Gao

CN203088189(A) 2013-07-31 Huanguang

CN203137689(A) 2013-08-21 Xingbiao

CN203646799(A) 2014-06-18 Darong

CN203987048(A) 2014-12-10 Fuxiao

In these days of overpopulated cities and increasingly smaller living and work spaces, the movement toward multipurpose furniture and spatial economy, without sacrificing floor space, has become more and more prevalent. Well over a century of inventors have tried to design the perfect hidden bed and many have made considerable inroads. There have been dozens, if not hundreds, of hidden beds that have been patented over the years and I will discuss a few that I found to have special nuances or lead up to some of the more recent designs.

I can not speak for others as to why they took on the challenge of the hidden bed. Many inventors create due to necessity or to overcome a perceived problem. Other inventors are out to build a better mouse trap. They see a device that has design issues and want to upgrade it. I don't generally see a reason to fix something that performs its intended function but have no problem critiquing.

It has been suggested that William L. Murphy hid a bed in a closet because in the late 19th Century it was uncouth to entertain a lady with a bed in the room. A century ago he was known more for a bed that lifted and spun into a closet, rather than the wardrobe type of hidden bed to which we associate his name.

The wardrobe style of hidden bed is likely the most common variety and they date well before Murphy was born. The main characteristics of these designs are a wall-mounted exterior frame which receives the bed and is pivotally attached to the bed. The bottom of the bed is designed to look like a cabinet, so when closed, appears to be a wardrobe or other piece of furniture.

In 1879, when Murphy was a toddler, a man in Boston named Dupre, offered a wardrobe style bed (U.S. Pat. No. 219,078). Like many of that era it was fixed pivot and overcame its counterbalance issue with weights and pulleys. In 1885, Laskey offered the Mantel Bed (U.S. Pat. No. 314,032). It was unique in that its fixed pivot was more centrally located to give it a mechanical advantage and on the rearward sides of the bed, projections followed tracks which steered it into its frame. Oliva Baigne's design of 1908 (U.S. Pat. No. 892,348), used a fixed pivot and a torsion spring to lift his bed. In recent years, the mechanical advantage of choice has been the piston as Burchett showed in 1991 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,134).

In order to offer more functionality than just a bed, some creators added peripherals like abutting bookcases and shelves. Potter, (U.S. Pat. No. 2,671,230) in 1954, added a hinged panel to the face of his wardrobe bed to be used as a desktop and some magazine racks. It was a nice attempt toward functionality but you had to clear the desk to use the bed. A slight improvement to this were devices that had shelves or desktops which lowered to the floor by way of linkage, as the bed was rotated to its horizontal, extended position. Some such devices were offered in 2013 by Huanguang (CN203088189), and in 2014 by Darong (CN203646799), and Fuxiao (CN203987048). These shelves do not appear to be very well designed, but they will carry items to the floor.

Of course, not all of the hidden bed inventors designed wardrobes with false facades. Two examples actually appear to be desks at first glance. Monestier (U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,052) in 2006, and Xingbiao (CN203137689) in 2013, offered these designs. They used pivots and linkage to lower their devices beds as their desktops dropped to the floor. And then Martenses (CA2484910) bedframe was mounted inside a wallbox with linkage that looked like some components would break during rotation. Another desk/bed was by Reppas (U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,715) in 1978. It was an oversized device with a large amount of space dedicated to its mechanics. Ernest (U.S. Pat. No. 1,400,534) in 1921, and Thomas (U.S. Pat. No. 2,257,625) in 1941 each offered hidden bed cabinets with extra storage. Ernests self-leveling effect was largely due to suspension of his cabinets from a top center point and allowing gravity to take over. One of these cabinets was fitted with a slanted bottom, depreciating its usability, in order for it to clear the other one during rotation. Thomas' unit also had several upper cabinets. They also had angled floors which would induce their contents to fall out once you opened the door. Thomases cabinets were hinged to the bottom of the bed and used parallel linkage for self-leveling similar to the trays of a tackle box as Shriver (U.S. Pat. No. 1,893,526) showed in 1929. Another good example of this parallel linkage system is with Gao in 2011 (CN201700827).

As far as counterbalance goes, there are many ways to overcome it. The previously cited designers and others have offered weights and pulleys, cables, springs, torsion springs, helical springs, pistons, gravity, and brute force. I would like to mention Stoniers 2005 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,487) variable tensioning spring device as a sample of one of the better counterbalance mechanisms. It is fitted with up to 9 springs depending on what size of load you need to lift and holds the load at midpoints along the way. I believe in the future, though, mechanical advantage will be attained with smart devices and move the furniture from one position to another by way of actuators.

The related art has various disadvantages. I have already touched on a few in my commentary. It really comes down to what the consumer is looking for. If all one needs is a place to sleep . . . problem solved. But when it comes to world congestion and tiny spaces, furniture is going to trend toward multifunctionality. A place to sleep might not solve a lot of peoples problems. A desk as a separate function would probably fit into many peoples needs . . . but those I have mentioned require dead space in order to function properly. I think that counterbalance is an issue of the past. I think that any of these devices that required mechanical advantage could use springs, pistons, or actuators. I would have to put inclusive storage on the top of my wish list . . . and I do not believe any of the hidden beds previously mentioned have successfully addressed this issue.

DRAWINGS—FIGURES

FIG. 1 isometric view of small bed design with leg only, knee hole base.

FIG. 2 isometric view of small bed design with valance type leg module, outlet support bar, monitor/tv mount, shelf module.

FIG. 3A isometric view of outlet support bar.

FIG. 3B isometric view of outlet support bar, monitor/tv mount.

FIG. 3C isometric view of monitor/tv mount.

FIG. 4 isometric view of large bed design with 3 upper cabinet modules.

FIG. 5 profile in-motion view of FIG. 4 revealing hidden edges.

FIG. 6 isometric view of large bed design with 2 upper cabinet modules, desktop module, extended knee hole base.

FIG. 7 profile in-motion view of FIG. 6 revealing hidden edges.

FIG. 8 profile vertical view of FIG. 6 revealing hidden edges.

FIG. 9 isometric view of large bed design with valance type leg module, desktop module at standing height, extended knee hole base.

FIG. 10 isometric view of large bed design with valance type leg module, desktop module, extended knee hole base, outlet support bar with monitor/tv mount.

FIG. 11 profile vertical view of FIG. 10 revealing hidden edges.

FIG. 12 profile horizontal view of FIG. 10 revealing hidden edges.

FIG. 13A perspective horizontal view of original desk/bed design.

FIG. 13B perspective view of original desk/bed design in motion.

FIG. 14A perspective profile view of original desk/bed design.

FIG. 14B perspective profile view of original desk/bed design in motion.

FIG. 15A perspective vertical view of hidden bed design without desktop.

FIG. 15B perspective vertical view of hidden bed design with desktop and knee hole base.

DRAWINGS—REFERENCE NUMERALS

2 base cabinet 4 bedstead 6 left swingarm 8 right swingarm 10 interior rail 12 exterior rail 14 bed support panel 16 desktop module 18 leg/valance module 20 shelf module 22 upper cabinet module 24 outlet support bar 26 electric outlet 28 monitor/tv mount 30 base left end 32 base right end 34 modular pivot 36 modular linkage pivot 38 base pivot 40 base linkage pivot 42 linkage 44 webbing 46 cable 48 power cord 50 desktop 52 underside

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some time ago a perceived problem arose when I repaired the roof and cleaned up a section of my shop building. I suddenly had a new room that I wanted to use as an office, as well as a nap space. The room was not much larger than 7′×7′ though. I put an old desk in there and a twin mattress. As I lifted the bed up on its edge to obtain the floor space I needed to use the desk, an idea started hatching. The use of some small paper mockups proved to me that a bed frame could lever off of the sides of a floor cabinet, clear the front edge of that cabinet, and land squarely on top of that cabinet . . . and the full-size version would fit inside of a 7′ cube. An invention was being born!

Possessing a solid cabinetmaking background, I began building the first prototype in my spare time. A base 2 was first. My initial goal was a desk/bed so I decided the base 2 height should be a couple inches shorter than a normal adult desk. This would allow for the thickness of the desktop 50. The length of the base 2 will also vary depending on the size of the bed. The desktop 50 is not necessary in all embodiments. The height and depth of the base 2 and other dimensions can vary depending on the builder's end goal. If a child-size desk is preferred, the base 2 would be smaller. This would also lower the overall height of the extended, horizontal bedstead 4 and modules. The base 2 is to be comprised with a left end 30 and a right end 32 connected together and held vertical and plumb by a framework or plurality of panels of sufficient length to create storage or other purposes. A kneehole should be included unless the desktop is going to be mounted or configured at a standing height. Doors may also be desirable.

Pivotally attached to the base 2 is the bedstead 4. The bedstead 4 is comprised of an interior rail 10, an exterior rail 12, a left swingarm 6, a right swingarm 8, a bed support panel 14, and webbing 44 or other means to retain the bed and bedding in place when apparatus is in its horizontal position. The left swingarm 6 is connected to the right swingarm 8 by an interior rail 10, and an exterior rail 12 which form a rectangular frame that receives the bed support panel 14. The interior rail 10 and exterior rail 12 are to be of sufficient width to house the bed on the top, and, on the underside 52, have sufficient space for a support framework, and electrical outlets 26 and their components. This underside 52 space is also necessary, in another embodiment, for the rear of the modules to swing during rotation. These five items, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14, will be of sufficient size to form a compartment where the bed resides. The left swingarm 6 and the right swingarm 8 extend to the base 2 and are pivotally attached to the base's corresponding left end 30 and right end 32 at the base pivots 38. Now the bedstead 4 can rotate down from its vertical and plumb, resting position atop the base 2 to its horizontal and level, extended position in front of the base 2. The base 2 is the fulcrum. The bedstead 4 is the lever. My main components were done.

To make it multifunctional my apparatus would need self-leveling components. For my original embodiment I built an L-shaped desktop 50 and hinged it to the bottom of the bedstead 4. This top had a left and a right end with a frontal post of sufficient length which, when rotated with the top, would line up under and support the corresponding left and right swingarms and the bedstead in general. I experimented with a length of cable 46 and attached it to one side of the desktop near the front edge. I ran the cable through a pulley in front of the hinges then through another eyehook near the end of the interior rail. An approximate location for an anchor point on the floor cabinet, above and behind the cabinet pivot, was now necessary. I drew an arc, using a point near one end of the taut cable and level desktop, while the bedstead and top were in their horizontal position. Then I subsequently did the same when they were in their vertical position. A little experimentation led to the length of cable and anchor point that coincided and now the first prototype had a self-leveling top.

This machine worked fine and met all of my original goals. This would work well in my small room. As I was building it, though, I was thinking that swinging components, which were suspended between the swingarms, and held level by tie-rods would offer more options. Modules and parallel linkage was my new goal.

In my new embodiment, the base 2 was acceptable as originally designed but the swingarms would make more practical, and functional sense if they were wider and capable of suspending the new modules. The base pivots 38 would remain in the same position as before, and the new modular pivots 36 are to be located in line with the base pivots 38 and parallel to the bed support panel 14. The bed support panel 14 is to be positioned as it was in the previous embodiment. A linkage rod 42 would be pivotally attached to each end of the base 2 at base linkage pivots 40 as well as to each module at modular linkage pivots 36. This linkage 42 would follow along the inside of the swingarms and along the structure under the bed support panel 14, but not so close to the bed support panel 14 and its corresponding structure as to interfere with the linkages 42 rotation.

Creating the leg module 18 was first. This would be the uppermost module and necessary to provide support for the bedstead 4 in its horizontal position. The leg module would have a right and a left end panel connected to each other by a framework or at least one panel. A light valance could be added to this module. An upper cabinet module 22 would also function here. Some necessary dimensions can be obtained while the bedstead 4 is in its horizontal and level position. In this position the height of the uppermost/outermost module will need to fill the gap between the floor and, in this case, the exterior rail 12. I simplified things by using the plumb line created by the front of my original base cabinet 2, and used that to determine the front of my upper modules. Thus, the rotation of my uppermost cabinet created its own axis or modular pivot 34 point where it will be pivotally attached on the swingarms 6,8.

The linkage 42 will be pivotally attached to base 2 at base linkage pivot 40 point and uppermost module at modular linkage pivot 36 point. These linkage pivot points will be at a stable and unobtrusive location about half way in between the modular pivots 34 and the bed support panel 14 structure. These points will be equally distanced above and rearward of the main axis pivots forming a parallelogram. These points will also work if they are equally distanced below and frontward of the main pivots.

Other possible modules would include the aforementioned upper cabinet module 22. This would be a basic box such as a bookcase. This module would need a right end and a left end equipped with modular pivots and linkage pivots, just like every module. A top, rear, and back panel are generally needed. A face frame and doors are nice options and a narrow apron hinged to the bottom of each that collapsed away when the bedstead 4 is horizontally extended.

The shelf, a bottom panel with a short back and module ends, as previously described, could be used for a unit where the user wanted a more open underside 52 affixed with a monitor/tv mount 28 or other visuals such as art.

Another module, and a popular one, would be the desktop module 16. It would need the module ends, as previously described, a deeper bottom panel and a back.

If desired, other modules can be added in between the base and the uppermost module. Their size should be slightly smaller than the uppermost module so they do not contact the floor. In the case of a smaller sized bedstead 4, one more similar-sized module is possible. A larger sized bedstead can support a total of three. The length of the modules will depend on the distance between the swingarms. One can also add electrical outlets 26 in an outlet bar 24 to the underside 52 of the bedstead. The power cord 48 would be attached to the swingarm and exit near the wall.

Operation

The bedstead is at rest when in its upright position. As it rotates down to its extended position, the bed is revealed. The modules rotation in between the swingarms keeps them level and carries their content undisturbed to the floor and underneath bed. As it rotates down the load is dampered by a tensioning means to gain a mechanical advantage. The related art section offered a variety of ways to deal with counterbalance, any of which would work with my apparatus. I am currently using a spring system in between the base cabinet and the swingarm that seems to work great . . . . But, in my opinion, the actuator is the way to go.

Alternative Embodiments

I have already mentioned some alternatives and more can be seen in the drawings. The base cabinet can be of various sizes and dimensions. It can have a knee hole in order to accommodate a desk. The foot of the cabinet can extend frontward giving it the ability to be freestanding or on casters.

The upper section, as I have alluded to, can basically transform into whatever you need out of a cabinet. Elsewise, one could decrease the modules and adorn the underside with art, a television, an interactive whiteboard, or a video gaming center.

Linking these units end-to-end could be done in a barracks or other similar environment.

One might naturally think of wood products when building such furniture. One could also use tin, steel, aluminum, or other metallic alloys. Various plastics, vinyl, and other rigid products might also be considered. Canvas, or other fabric, stretched across a frame could also be used in places.

ADVANTAGES

My hidden bed design has several advantages over previously created designs. The first thing that I find beneficial is the undisturbed storage provided by the base cabinets. Whether the user needs drawer space, plain shelving or just to conceal old radiators or other eyesores or obstructions, this design makes a lot of sense.

It also conserves space by taking up a small footprint. Its efficient use of floor space could be very useful in dormitories and professor's offices; military posts and prisons; factories, manufacturing and technology centers and startups; children's rooms; spare walk-in closets; just about anywhere that people need to work and live in small spaces.

The versatility of its modular design and self-leveling components are also great assets. I can visualize these devices surrounding an entire room. An entertainment center here and a desk there; a bookcase or two; a display cabinet; a wardrobe; a pantry; and a guncase to name a few.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

All of the wallbed designers that I have listed previously, as well as myself, had basically the same objectives . . . to build a bed that was hidden when not in use, and that wasn't a pain to stow away. My device adds superior versatility to the previous designs. It is superior in storage, utility and function to all previously conceived products of this type. My stupendous device has endless possibilities! 

I, the applicant, claim as new:
 1. A combination furniture construction comprising a bed frame, movable between a vertical and horizontal position, in which the bed frame is has a first end and a second end endowed with overreaching boards of sufficient length to pivotally attach to the corresponding first end and the corresponding second end of an interposed quadrangular floor structure.
 2. A combination furniture construction as per claim 1, wherein said bed frame, when rotated upward on its pivots, comes to rest vertically on top of said floor structure, whereby hiding the bed and unveiling a useful undersurface of said bed frame.
 3. A combination furniture construction as per claim 2, wherein said floor structure is a length of cabinets.
 4. A combination furniture construction as per claim 3, wherein useable structures of sufficient length, comprising a first end and a second end and at least one board connecting them, are suspended in between said overreaching boards, and said structure's ends are pivotally attached to said overreaching boards; further, these pivots are inline with said floor structures pivots; these pivots are level when bed frame is in its horizontal position and plumb when bed frame is in its vertical position.
 5. A combination furniture construction as per claim 4, wherein said structures are cabinets, or shelves, or support structure, and have linkage that pivotally links them to each other and said floor structure at points that form a 45 degree parallelogram; one location for these new pivots are equally distanced rearward and upward from earlier inline pivots and floor structure pivots. 